Here is the clip from Shahid Masood’s conversation with Zakir Naik:

Of course, this is not the first time that Shahid Masood has invited controversial figures to his show. Not long ago he got “both sides” from Hamid Gul and Bharat Verma on his show, Merey Mutabiq.

But does an argument between Hamid Gul and Bharat Verma really represent “both sides” of anything? These are both quite extreme voices in their respective countries. Neither represents a large segment of the population, so what Shahid Masood has done, really, is create a Circus of Extremism. This might make for entertaining TV, but what does it mean for the country?

With this question in mind, let’s read an excerpt from Nadeem Paracha:

Many Pakistanis routinely continue to deny the fact that the monsters behind all ‘faithful’ barbarism cutting this country into bits are the mutant products of what our own state and society have been up to in the past 30 years or so. For years a convoluted narrative has been circulated by the state, the clerics, schools and now the electronic media: Pakistan was made in the name of Islam (read, a theocratic state).

Thus, only Muslims (mainly orthodox Sunnis, shall we say?) have the right to rule, run and benefit from this country. ‘Minority’ religions and ‘heretical’ sects living as Pakistani citizens are not to be trusted. They need to be constitutionally, socially and culturally isolated. Parliamentary democracy can’t be trusted either. It unleashes ethnic forces, ‘corruption’ and undermines the role of the military and that of Islam in the state’s make-up. It threatens the ‘unity’ of the country — a unity based on an unrealistically homogeneous understanding of Islam (mainly concocted by the state and its right-wing allies). Most of our political, economic and social ills are due to the diabolical conspiracies hatched by our many enemies (especially India, Israel and the West).

The bad news is that such beliefs are symptomatic of a society that has started to respond enthusiastically to the major symptoms of fascist thought. Symptoms such as a xenophobic exhibition of nationalism; disdain for recognition of human rights; identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause; supremacy of the military (might); obsession with national security; intertwining of religion and government; disdain for intellectual thought and the arts, and an obsession with crime and punishment.

Have not many Pakistanis willingly allowed themselves to be captured in all the macho and paranoid trappings of the mentioned symptoms? Does this not point at a country ripening and readying itself for an all-round fascist scenario?

Certainly there will  be some who say that Shahid Masood does the right thing by not injecting himself into the discussions as much and being combative. But the question must be asked what the influence is when Shahid Masood chooses to give airtime to guests who represent extremist ideologies.

Nadeem Paracha makes an excellent point:

We call ourselves ‘moderate Muslims’, and yet applaud or quietly tolerate the hate-spewing claptrap that pours out from our mosques and TV screens. We cheer about the fact that Pakistan is one of the very few democratic Muslim countries with a constitution, and yet we will not speak a word about clauses and sections in the same constitution that have triggered violence and repression against women and sanctioned a religious apartheid that only allows an orthodox, pious Muslim democratic rights to rule the country or run in an election.

Does it matter whether or not Shahid Masood himself says that non-Muslims should be forced to practise their religion in hiding? Or is it enough that he provides a platform for these views to be spoken? Are we really going to find a path to peace from a discussion between Hamid Gul and Bharat Verma? Or is that discussion set up for failure?

One does not have to be an extremist to be a facilitator of extremism. Our media is free to choose what guests will appear and what messages will be aired to the mass audience. With this freedom comes some responsibility, though. As Nadeem Paracha correctly says,

We do not debate. We react and then huddle up behind our flimsy and lopsided historical and national narratives about what being a Pakistani and Muslim is all about, cursing the world for our ills, looking out for infidels and heretics among us, or for scapegoats in the shape of media-constructed punching bags.

It’s time for the media to end this Circus of Extremism, and to use its incredible ability to promote a message of rational discussion. That doesn’t mean it has to take one side or another, but it needs to be factual and it needs to be fair. Right now, its failing at both.

I made the mistake of my life when I appeared, against better counsel, on Dr Shahid Masood’s Meray Mutabiq which was recorded and then edited. And by golly was it edited! Suffice it to say that I was shocked out of my wits, and greatly saddened, at the show as aired.

This is most interesting. Is Dr. Shahid Masood using editing to mislead his viewers and misrepresent his guests? This is always a danger with TV, and it’s hard to know what is real and what has been edited, especially with the advanced technology in today’s software. It would be interesting to know more about the situation here, and to get a glimpse “behind the curtain” at these TV programmes.

Why is Shahid Masood pretending he is Chief Justice?

Why is Shahid Masood pretending he is Chief Justice? As a TV talk show host, Masood could be facilitating discussions about the topic of the day in a way that brings new and enlightening information to the people. Instead, he is constantly thrusting his opinion over others, and treating his own opinion as fact. Take as a perfect example his latest episode in which he makes grand speeches about the NRO.

From the moment of President Zardari’s election, Shahid Masood has said that Zardari should not be President, and that it is only a matter of time before the army will force him out. Much of Masood’s

However, Shahid Masood’s predictions appear to be about as good as his colleague Shaheen Sehbai’s. Zardari has continued in office, and the Army has said they will not force Zardari out.

Frustrated by his inability to read the star charts, Masood appears to have become determined to create an environment where instead his wishes come true. His latest episode of Merey Mutabiq shows Masood pretending to be Chief Justice, and expecting the incumbents to come to Masood and present a case for him to judge, even while he makes such simple mistakes as to forget that NRO was promulgated on Oct 5, 2007, and Benazir did not ask for any relief during her life.

This is a major problem with these TV talk show hosts. They fancy themselves high-minded intellectuals who sit in judgment of everyone else. Actually, there is already a Supreme Court, and it is not found on Geo TV.

Merey Mutabiq is quickly losing its popularity due to such factors as predictable commentary (it is obvious what Masood will say on any topic before he even says it), unsupported claims, and unattractive character assassination. Exposing corruption is a service that the media could provide, but airing unfounded allegations and personal attacks on a few people are certainly condemnable. Chattering about NRO is not exposing corruption, but just talking hot air.

While the country is engulfed in various crisis like suicide bombings, India’s expanding role in Afghanistan, and continued load shedding, TV media can play a vital role in exposing the shortcomings of officials working on specific issues. But these reports should be done in an objective manner and based on factual evidence. Unfortunately,the gentleman in this program seems to have gotten stuck up on non-issues which are at least not directly connected with the problems of common man.

Another disturbing aspect to Shahid Masood’s program is that he never invites leftists or moderates to be guests on his program. Rather, he merely promotes the opinion of the 10-12 persons only in each episode. By limiting the range of guests on his show, Masood does a disservice to his viewers by creating an uninformative, predictable outcome to any conversation. Only those who are predisposed to agree with Masood will enjoy the conversation. Perhaps this is why he is already losing viewership.

In his last episode, Masood spent his whole show talking about aspects of the NRO that are well known to everyone. In fact, his show did not provide any new perspective or information on the topic. So what is the point?

Just as we do not believe that the courts should control the media, so we do not believe the media should control the courts. The opinions of TV’s leading talking heads are well known. Now that the NRO has been taken up by the apex court, it will be better if so-called media personalities refrain from further statements on the issue until the court has an opportunity to hear the evidence and announce a verdict.